The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-03
TO BE DECIDED TO-DAY.
THE BIRMINGHAM AND ATLANTIC
AIRLINE CONSOLIDATION.

! lhefe IS good deal gong on III railroad
circles just at this time.
! The representatives of the Birmingham
and Savannah lines, who are debating the
matter OF consolidation, will meet in Griffin
to-day, and there is every probability that
before they adjourn the consolidation will
have been effected
At the first meeting the plans were pro-
posed and the agreement upon which the
companies were to enter the consolida-
ton was drawn up. Each COM
pany made a statement of its assets
and committee was appointed to go over
the line of the Savannah, Dublin and West
ern and, as everything was satisfactory, it
| was understood that il the report of that
| committee was favorable the consolidation
would take place at once. That committee
consisted Of Messrs. j. H. Montgomery, of
| Birmingham, representing the Birmingham,
Georgia and Florida; Il. S. McFarin, of La
| Grange, representing the Macon, LaGrange
| and Birmingham: Wallace, of Atlanta,
representing the Birmingham and Atlantic
Airline, and Watt, of Griffin. They came
TO Savannah on Wednesday and spent
| Thursday in going over the plans and pro-
| files of the line with the chief engineer. The
next morning they started out and went
over the entire line from here to Macon.
Mr.. VIM, the Chief Engineer of the Savan-
nah and Western being with the party
The conference would have been called
| together at once to receive their report but
| for the fact that Mr.. Montgomery had to go
TO Birmingham TO be present at the trial of
| very important case in which he was in
| terested. 1t was, therefore, postponed until
to-day, when it will be held in Griffin.
UNAVOIDABLE REPORTS.
There was some disappointment here yes
terday when a telegram stating that the
| committee would report unfavorsbly was
received. Another dispatch contradicted
this and said that while the committee was
very much pleased with the Savannah end
of the Savannah, Dublin and Western, it
did not like the Macon end and would,
| therefore, demand a modification of the
agreement. With what the committee
is displeased and what modification
it will ask are not known here, but the
| Birmingham and Atlantic Airline people
say that there cannot be anything of serious
| Importance in the objection to the Macon
end. Physically the road is perfect, but
| the conference demanded that there shall
be no heavier grade than 40 feet to the mile
on the entire line from Savannah to Bir-
mingham.
Maj. West, the General Manager of the
| Birmingham and Atlantic Airline said
have displeased the committee. There
might be, he said, Zone grade on that sec
| ton of the line which is greater than forty
feet. do not know that there is, but there
may be, or perhaps there is some other OBJ
| lection, but it is nothing serious. If there
is such grade, the only thing necessary is
put force of hands at work and cut it
| down and that will be done at once If the
objection is something else it will be
| remedied
| CLAIMS TO BE MADE GOOD.
! ''rbe Birmingham and Atlantic Airline
| will make good its claims In the confer
ence it made a statement of what it had
and if anything falls short it will be made
up. What | mean is this: If we have
| graded a half a mile OF a mile less than we
said we had, we will grade that and make
it conform to our statement The only in
structions that ! received from New York
regarding this consolidation were to 60
| into it on terms of equality and
fairness, and that | will do. The Alabama
people are anxious extremely anxious, for
this line so that they will have an outlet to
deep water, and they will come in under
the agreement if everything is as 1T was
represented, and as | said, if there is any
thing that is not it will be made to come up
to the representations
ANOTHER ROAD INVOLVED.
tern, the projected airline to Eastman.
will go into the consolidation also The
chief engineer of the line, Mr.. VIM, &C.
| companled the committee in its trip over
the Savannah, Dublin and Western The
Savannah and Western would parallel the
Birmingham and Atlantic for distance of
forty miles from this city, and as the first
forty miles of road out of Savau-
nah are more expensive to build
than any other section, it is not at all un-
likely that the Savannah and Western will
90 into the consolidation for the purpose of
using the Birmingham and Atlantic track
for that distance. President Meldrim of
the Savannah and Western was in con
ference with the committee when il was
here, and subsequent to his conference Mr..
VIM Joined the committee in its inspection
of the road
| The Directors of the Savannah, Dublin
and Western will hold their regular meeting
here to-day and while the matter of consoli-
dation will, of course, be brought up the
directors will look after only the routine
bushes Of the line.
NOT SCARED BY RUMoRs.
The Birmingham and Atlantic projectors
were very much exercised over the an
nouncement that the Central railroad would
build an airline to Fort Valley, and thus
obtain almost an airline to Birmingham,
but they say now that they think the Cen
trail is only making a bluff One Of the
directors of the Central said yesterday that
a corps of engineers is already in the field
surveying the Fort Valley line, but the Bir-
mingham and Atlantic people say that
though that may be true. and though a few
miles of road may be graded, they are not
afraid that the road will be built. One of
them was asked why, and he replied;
1--WE have the ridge from Savannah west.
Our charter prohibits any road to build
within ten miles of us on either side. II the
Central goes outside of that ten-nlile limit
on one side it will get into the Altamaha
bottom; on the other, into the Ogeechee
bottom II would have to parallel us for
fifty miles and that it cannot do. 1t would
cost a fabulous sum to build that road
through those bottoms and the Central has
no intention of doing so. If Birmingham
was of as much Importance as Pttsburg,
and the Central was unable to do its Birm-
ingham business over it's present line, we
might reasonably expect it to construct an
additional line.
CANNOT INCREASE EXPENSES
ut is estimated that the present Birming-
ham extension will cost the Central SO 800
600 The Carolina system has already cost
il about 50, SOC, 900, and its Clayton extension
| $4,000. The Central will have to pay, in
the future these increased interests. Pros
porous years are the dream of mankind but
| wars of deprasSiou are the history Of